Labor hides Moore Park golf course cost from NSW taxpayers
For months, the Minns Government has refused to release the business case for slicing Moore Park Golf Course in half, arguing they are cabinet-in-confidence – leaving taxpayers in the dark.
Taxpayers are being kept in the dark on the comprehensive cost of slicing Moore Park Golf Course in half, a project the state government plans to start next year.
Multiple demands from the Opposition to release the business case of the controversial proposal have been refused, with Labor arguing they are subject to cabinet-in-confidence. Requests for these documents began in February this year.
A motion to censure Leader of the Government Penny Sharpe over the saga was passed on Thursday, while Labor was warned it had until Monday to release the relevant papers.
Ms Sharpe told the Legislative Council it did not have “the power to require the production of cabinet documents”.
Shadow treasurer Damien Tuedehope told The Daily Telegraph Labor was “committed to keeping the public in the dark” over the situation.
“This government’s method is zero transparency when it comes to the most important documents which inform government decision-making,” he said.
Fellow Liberal Scott Farlow added: “What’s the Minns Government got to hide when it comes to the business case to chop up Moore Park Golf Course?”
Multiple attempts by The Daily Telegraph to obtain the details of the plan have also been unsuccessful.
An official business case would generally outline comprehensive details of total costs, expected benefits, projected usage and consideration for other alternatives.
In a statement, a government spokeswoman said the business case “has not been released as it is a cabinet document”.
Last month, Labor announced a $50m taxpayer investment to establish a new 20-hectare park, with sports fields and exercise trails. As a result, Moore Park Golf Course will be reduced to nine holes, with work to begin from mid-next year.
Plans for the new park will be on exhibit until November 24, with the public invited to have their say.
The current golf facility earns $17m a year, which funds up to 50 percent of the operational budget for the Greater Sydney Parklands.
The Minns Government also remains at war with one of its own MPs over a proposal to replace the Carnarvon Golf Course at Lidcombe with a cemetery, despite significant local opposition.
Auburn MP Lynda Voltz told the Legislative Assembly it had been a “flawed process” and she “congratulated her community for taking a stand”. A large number of her constituents applauded from the gallery in the chamber.
Ms Voltz also presented a petition with 14,000 signatures opposing the golf course being used for cemetery space.
Sport and Lands Minister Steve Kamper warned Crown cemetery operator Metropolitan Memorial Parks would exhaust burial space in six out of its eight cemeteries by 2031 and be “completely full a decade after that”.
However, he insisted “at this stage, no decision has been reached and the term of lease on Carnarvon Golf Course runs until 2035”.
Opposition sport spokeswoman Eleni Petinos told the house “we all need access to cemeteries. But why this golf course? And why golf again?”
“The process isn’t open, it’s not transparent, it’s not credible and I don’t think we should be glossing over it in this chamber today,” Ms Petinos said.
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Originally published as Labor hides Moore Park golf course cost from NSW taxpayers
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